05 September 2014
The Australian Centre for Child Protection will celebrate its 10th anniversary by hosting a special forum during National Child Protection Week, to highlight emerging areas of research in the field of child protection.
The forum: “New findings from child protection” will examine different projects undertaken by early career researchers at the Centre, indicating how new evidence can create better practice in the care of children.
The presentations will relate to interventions for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), children at risk of repeated involvement with child protection services, and research into factors which influence decisions to place children in kinship care, when children cannot remain in the care of their biological parents.
Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, Professor Fiona Arney, says there has been an explosion of knowledge in the area of child protection over the past decade, since the Centre was founded, both in terms of what constitutes abuse and neglect and what can be done to tackle these issues.
“The field of child protection research is still a relatively new area,” says Professor Arney.
“But it is an area which now, more than ever before, can help transform the lives of vulnerable children.
“Being able to anticipate and identify areas of research which are of importance to policy makers and practitioners, and to partner with them to make sure we can make a positive difference to the lives of children, exemplifies what our Centre does best and it is what we believe in.
“National Child Protection Week is about encouraging everybody to play their part and get involved in promoting the wellbeing and safety of children.
“Our forum will showcase some of the outstanding and wide ranging work our early career researchers are doing, playing their part, to make a difference.
“Research into factors which influence decisions to place children in kinship care is vital when you consider the vast over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care.
“Understanding what supports are most effective in helping people to look after children with FASD, will enable more carers to provide better care of children with that condition.
“These are just a couple of examples which show how and why research is so important in this area.”
The forum will take place at City West campus on September 9, from 9am to 12pm at the Bradley Forum.
Contact for interview: Fiona Arney office 08 830 22918 email Fiona.arney@unisa.edu.au
Media contact: Will Venn office (08) 8302 0096 email will.venn@unisa.edu.au
